Not property related but I just don't understand

[pickle pickle]

I know governments need money. Buy why do we have payroll tax.

I can make an argument for most taxes, but payroll taxes I just see negative issues with. If a government ablosihsed payroll taxes I think they may get revenue from other resources (IE. stamp duty) as it will encourage more businesses to set up and thus more employmrent and more people to move into that state.

 

[Ausprop]

I have great difficulty with all these stupid taxes, especially stamp duty. Why can I buy a $1m boat and pay no stamp duty yet a $400k house to shelter my family and I get slugged??

 

[Rolf Latham]

I have great difficulty with all these stupid taxes, especially stamp duty. Why can I buy a $1m boat and pay no stamp duty yet a $400k house to shelter my family and I get slugged??

because a weeny part of the population will buy a bog boat.

until recently 70 % of the population has bought a house


ta

rolf

 

[Perp]

Payroll taxes, land tax, and stamp duty are all taxes that are unrelated to either making a profit or consuming something, and as such, should be abolished. They're all taxes which exist "because the Government can", and because we don't do enough to object to them.

 

[peastman]

We expect goverment to provide infrastructure, social services, defence etc. etc. and to do this they need to raise money.
How the money is raised is almost immaterial, for instance they could introduce a tax that is payable every time the sun shines on a tuesday. But they generally tax earning and spending money, which on a whole, we accept as almost fair.

Ausprop, that $1M boat attracts a lot of gst, so would it be better to dump the stamp duty and introduce gst on resi property?

It is the responsability of us all to pay our share, I just hate paying for wasting money though, which all governments seem to be very good at.

 

[lizzie]

i agree - there are so many taxes that the general populous is unaware of. and the government wastage is scary (ie, nsw recently spent $250mil on preparation for a rail line that was never built - 1/4 of a billion dollars for nothing!!)

i would much rather see every tax abolished - and replaced with income/company tax and gst only.

lower tax on earnings - higher tax on spending.

 

[Indifference]

It is the responsability of us all to pay our share, I just hate paying for wasting money though, which all governments seem to be very good at.

If everyone had this attitude then our taxes would be far lower... but alas, we have far too many idle people hitching a free ride through life. That is where the real waste is, with people who think it is their birthright for society to carry them, year after year after year.....

 

[Token Funder]

If everyone had this attitude then our taxes would be far lower... but alas, we have far too many idle people hitching a free ride through life. That is where the real waste is, with people who think it is their birthright for society to carry them, year after year after year...until their property becomes positively geared..

Fixed it for you

 

[Indifference]

Fixed it for you

LOL.... if only those people were the burden, then we definitely would have far lower taxes!

 

[tom32]

Payroll taxes, land tax, and stamp duty are all taxes that are unrelated to either making a profit or consuming something, and as such, should be abolished. They're all taxes which exist "because the Government can", and because we don't do enough to object to them.

I agree with both your assessment of payroll tax and stamp duty these are both arbitrary and inneficient taxes. There is little cost to government when a house is sold and any cost borne by the government when a business pays an employee is minimal and you could say they pick up enough in PAYG anyway.

Land tax on the other hand I have major issue with them charging investment properties at a high rate and other homes at a low rate. Nonetheless land tax is an efficient tax. It drives efficient use of infrastructure provided by the government.

I believe land tax should be lower as per Henry review but apply to all land based on value.

I know this will sound harsh but the person living in a PPOR in glebe on 2 acres may just have to move and the land capitalised appropriately but this is the issue, development is difficult because land being inadequately used in PPOR's is holding our cities back from appropriate levels of development in appropriate areas. We can plan all we like but there has to be incentives for development in the right places or we just get urban sprawl.

Why should investors pay a high level of land tax just because they own a certain amount of land?

Now I can understand why primary production land is exempt as little infrastructure is provided by government to these areas but otherwise land tax should be uniform on all land owners but lower than it currently is.

It is the only way to drive development on the most expensive land, the same land with the highest levels of amenity.